Animal chute



C. GRABE ANIMAL CHUTE A ug. 11 51936.

Filed Sept. 11, 1935 I/VVE V MM N b k A 'TOR VEY Patented Aug. 11, 1936UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application September 4 Claims.

The present invention relates particularly to a portable and adjustablechute for use in coniilection with the segregation of sheep and theThere are many various circumstances where it is desired to separatefrom a common flock or herd of animals those having a givencharacteristic. For instance at shearing time it may be desired toseparate the lambs from a flock of sheep, or in the case of the sale ofcertain stock it may be desired to separate the fat from the lean.

The process of effecting the desired separation in any such case isordinarily rather a slow and diflicult one, and is particularly so inyards where various flocks and herds are quartered and separatingcorrals are limited.

It is one object of the present invention to provide portable andadjustable means whereby separation may be quickly and easily effectedat any point in the yards without material alteration in the existingstructure. i It is also an object of the invention to provide means ofthe character indicated that will be economical to manufacture, simplein form and construction, light in weight, quickly and easily positionedand adjusted, and highly efiicient in its practical application.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a structure embodying my inventionoperatively disposed in a cattle yard.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail illustration of a means for mounting theswingable portions of the structure.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of one of the members composing thestructure, with parts broken away.

In the particular embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, I showat I-l the two fences forming the sides of a lane or runway 2. Thefences are provided with the usual openings as at 3 normally closed bymeans of gates as 4 swingably mounted on the fence structure as at 5. At6 are indicated portions of other fences cooperating with fences l--l toform corrals as 1.

In effecting my invention as herein disclosed I provide four separatefence sections as indicated by the reference characters 8, 9, l9 and lI, the sections 8, I and H being relatively short and of substantiallythe same size and the section 9 being substantially three times thelength of the other sections and forming the main body of the structure.

The fence section 8 is swingably mounted on fence I by means ofseparable hinges of any suit- 11, 1935, Serial No. 40,063

able type such as an eye-bolt 12 mounted in the stationary fence and ahook 13 mounted in section 8. By means of this construction the section8 may be moved about the yards and quickly mounted at any point wherethe eye-bolts have 5 been placed. In the other edge of the section 8 andopposite to the hooks l3 are mounted eyebolts as at l4.

The longer central section 9 of the portable fence is fitted with hooksas at l5 adapted to 10 engage the eye-bolts M in section 8, and itsopposite edge is likewise provided with eye-bolts as indicated at It.Upon this latter end of section 9 is also mounted a vertically disposedstake or bar I! as at l8 with its lower end extending be- 15 low thebottom edge of the section so that it may be seated in the ground as atl9 to fixedly secure the section 9 in position.

The section [0 functions as a gate and is fitted with hooks as at 20adapted to engage the eye- 20 bolts 16 in section 9 and swing thereon.

The section II also functions as a gate and is fitted with hooks at 2!adapted to engage eyebolts 22 mounted in gate 4 to swing thereon. Thegate 4 is fitted with a vertically disposed stake at 23 on itsunattached end whereby it may be secured against movement.

Assuming that the lambs are to be separated from a flock of sheep andassembled in the one enclosure or corral l, the section II is mounted 30on gate 4 as described and the gate 4 is secured in the position shownby driving the stake 23 into the ground. The section II now functions asa gate controlling the opening 3 into corral 1.

The section 8 is now mounted on the fence I on the opposite side of thelane 2 and the long section 9 is mounted on section 8. Then the sectionIt] is mounted on section 9 and the sections 9 and I0 are adjusted sothat the section ID will 40 take the position shown in solid lines andthe stake IT is driven into the ground to hold the section 9 rigidly inposition. The section III now functions as a gate controlling thepassage of animals from the lane portion 24.

By means of this construction the sheep moving down lane 2 in thedirection indicated by the arrow 25 must necessarily pass into the laneportion 24, and with the section II closed and the section l0 open asindicated in dotted lines at 26 50 they may pass along into the lowerportion of the lane. But when one or more lambs reach this point ofseparation the section II is swung open as indicated in dotted lines at21 and they must necessarily pass on into the corral, after which thesection I I is again closed and the way is again opened to the lowerportion of the lane.

With the two sections I0 and II pivoted in the positions shown thediversion of the lambs from the main flock is an easy matter becausewith the section I0 wide open the operator of the gates can stand on theinside of gate H and open it to any desired extent to let one or morelambs through.

By merely shifting the several sections into the position shown indotted lines at 28 the structure may be used in connection with anothercorml, and so it may be shifted up or down the lane 2 or to any otherportion of the yards.

It is to be understood, of course, that while I have herein shown anddescribed but one specific embodiment of the invention, changes in form,construction, and method of assembly and operation may be made withinthe scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

I. The combination with the fences defining the sides of a lane andprovided with an opening having a swingable closure, of a plurality ofhingedly connected fence sections disposed angularly across the lane toform a restricted passage, with one of said sections being disposed toform a swingable closure for said passage, means for fixedly supportingthe other sections, means for fixedly supporting the first named closurein an open position and a section hingedly mounted on the first namedclosure and swingable into overlapping relationship with the secondnamed swingable closure.

2. The combination with the fences defining the sides of a lane andprovided with an opening having a swingable closure therefor, of acentral fence section, an end fence section swingably and detachablyconnected to one end thereof and swingably and detachably connected toone of said side fences, supporting means for fixedly positioning theother end of the central section, a gate section swingably mounted uponthe last named end of the central section and detachable therefrom andmovable toward the other side fence adjacent the opening therein, and afourth section swingably and detachably mounted upon the free end of theclosure for said opening to swing into overlapping relationship withsaid gate section, and supporting means for fixedly positioning the freeend of said closure in an open position.

3. The combination with the fences defining the sides of a lane andprovided with an opening having a swingable closure, of a removablefence structure disposed angularly across the lane to form a restrictedpassage and having a gate disposed thereon to form a swingable closurefor said passage, means for fixedly supporting the first named closurein an open position, and a gate hingedly mounted on the closure andswingable into overlapping relationship with the first named gate.

4. The combination with the fences defining the sides of a lane andprovided with an opening having a swingable closure, of a removablefence structure disposed angularly across the lane to form a restrictedpassage and having a gate disposed thereon to form a swingable closurefor said passage, and a gate mounted on the'first' named closure toswing into overlapping relationship with the first named gate.

CHRISTIAN GRABE.

